Playground in the neighborhood of Kensington, Philadelphia. Note the factories in the background, one of which has been recently converted into the Coral Street Arts House, low-income housing for artists.

The U.S. Postal Service designates Kensington as ZIP codes 19125 (Kensington Station) The U.S. Postal service considers 19134 (Richmond Station) as the area known as Richmond and Port Richmond. Adjacent neighborhoods are Northern Liberties zip code 19123, Fishtown zip code 19125( a sub neighborhood of Kensington), Port Richmond zipcode 19134, Juniata, and Frankford.

Kensington was founded by Anthony Palmer around 1732. Palmer purchased what was called the Fairman Estate, located along the Delaware River in the Northern Liberties (area just North of the City of Philadelphia) The entire estate consisted of 191.5 acres of land, much smaller than the Kensington we know of today. Palmer was an English merchant, who came to Philadelphia very early in the 18th century, from Barbados. The town of Kensington was named for the area in London known as Kensington Gardens. Palmer laid out his town and sold parcels to the many people who worked along the Delaware River, in the fishing industry and many ship building yards. The original area of Kensington is now more commonly called "Fishtown" mainly because of the Shad Fishing that was the dominant business in Kensington in the 18th and 19th centuries. Anthony Palmer was very active in local government and was part of the Philadelphia council. As head of council, Palmer became the acting Provincial Governor of Pennsylvania in 1747 and 1748. Palmer died in 1749 and is buried in Christ Church Burial Grounds in Old City section of Philadelphia.

Kensington has traditionally been known as the working class center of Philadelphia.[2] Initially, employment focused around the nearby waterfront, and the activities of fishermen and ship- and boat-builders. In the early 19th century, Kensington transitioned to iron and steel manufacture,[3] and became home to a variety of factories, potteries, and machine works.[2] In the later 19th century, Kensington became one of the leading centers of the textile industry, particularly in carpet manufacture. McNeil Laboratories began with the purchase of a pharmacy in the area in 1879 by the company's namesake. In 1903 Mother Jones organized a "Children's Crusade" of children from the local mills and mines to protest against child labor. They marched from Kensington to Oyster Bay, New York, carrying banners demanding "We want to go to School and not the mines!"[4][5][6]

Deindustrialization eventually took its hold on the neighborhood in the 1950s, leading to a significant population loss, high unemployment, economic decline, and the abandoning of homes in the neighborhood. However, some sections of the neighborhood have been revitalized in recent years, especially those near Frankford Avenue, Kensington's neighbor North of Lehigh Avenue, and Fishtown, an area of Kensington where many Shad fisheries were located, another traditionally working-class neighborhood which has seen rents increase. While most of the large manufacturers have left, the area has many small shops and large renovated factories and warehouses for newer artisans to set up shop.[7][8][9]

The intersection of Kensington and Allegheny Avenues (commonly referred to by Philadelphians as "K & A") is a major transportation and retail hub in the Richmond neighborhood, as it is served by the Frankford Elevated portion of the Market-Frankford Line which, running on top of Kensington Avenue, dominates the intersection. SEPTA bus routes 3 (on Kensington Avenue, running underneath the "El") and 60 on Allegheny Avenue, with route 5 nearby on Frankford Avenue, also serve the K & A area.

Kensington was the birthplace of the K&A Gang, an Irish American organized crime association known for their distribution of methamphetamine in the 1980s.

The intersection of Kensington Avenue and Somerset Street was listed number one in a 2007 list of the city's top ten recreational drug corners according to an article by Philadelphia Weekly reporter Steve Volk.[15]

In 2010, three victims were found strangled. The killer is referred to by the media as "The Kensington Strangler." A "person of interest", Antonio Rodriguez, in the case was arrested in January 2011.[16] Antonio Rodriguez confessed to the murders and was sentenced to life in prison in 2012.[17]